Tuesday, September 17, 2013

National Child Passenger Safety Week

National Child Passenger Safety Week is September 15–21. As part of the campaign, September 21 is designated as National Seat Check Saturday, when drivers with child passengers are encouraged to visit a child safety seat inspection station to have a certified technician inspect their car seat and give hands-on advice free of charge. Additional information about car seats, materials for parents, and a calendar with upcoming car seat check events are available from CarSeatsColorado.com. You can also share this inspection station list with your community partners or families.

In the United States, motor vehicle–related injuries are a leading cause of death among children. In 2011, a total of 656 passenger vehicle occupants aged 0–12 years died as a result of a crash. During 1975–2011, child restraints saved an estimated 9,874 lives of children aged 0–4 years. Seating position also contributes to child passenger safety. To keep child passengers as safe as possible, drivers should properly restrain children aged <13 years in a back seat and follow the American Academy of Pediatrics' child passenger safety recommendations.

As the infograph below demonstrates, motor vehicle deaths alternate between the leading and second leading cause of injury death among children in Colorado.

If you would like additional promotional materials for National Child Passenger Safety Week (in English and Spanish), access NHTSA's toolkit.